Incandescent-lamp socket



(No Model.)

0. T. LEE. INGANDESGENT LAMP SOCKET.

Patented Aug. 15,1893.

arnnr OFFICE.

"CHARLES TENNANT LEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

EMEAMUESCENT- LAMP SOCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,349, dated August15, 1893.

Application filed May 3, 1892. Serial No. 431,651. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES TENNANT LEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sockets forIncandescent Lamps, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to provide a durable and efficientwater-proof socket for incandescent lamps with which the lamp may bereadily connected and from which it may be easily detached, and itconsists in a socket provided between its mouth or open end and theterminals with a ring of rubber which projects into the cavity of thesocket and is so located as to come in contact and form a tight jointwith the glass portion of the lamp, all as hereinafter set forth and asmore particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended heretoand made a part hereof.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown my invention as applied totwo forms of socket, both figures of the drawings showing a socket invertical section with a lamp therein, the lamp being partially brokenaway.

In Figure l the socket is threaded and the lamp adapted to be screwedtherein. In Fig. 2 one of the terminals is provided with spring tongueswhich when the lamp is thrust into the socket snap over an annularprojection thereon and hold the lamp in place.

My invention is simple and will be readily understood from the followingdescription in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

A represents the socket, which is integral throughout and made from acomposition of matter which may be molded while in a plastic conditioninto the desired form. The terminals l) c to which are attached theconducting Wires (1 e are molded or embedded in the material of thesocket when the socket is formed; the insulating covering. of said endsbeing also incased within the said material as shown. The open mouth ofthe socket beshoving it home in the socket the spreading sides of thebulb will be forced tightly against the rubber ring h compressing thering and preventing the passage of moisture inwardly t0 the terminals.\Vhen the lamp is in position'the rubber ring will stay in place withoutbeing secured to the socket but to prevent the rubber ring from becomingdctached from the socket when the lamp is removed the ring may besecured by adhesive material or in any well-known manner to the socketor an annular recess may be formed around the inside of the mouth of thesocket for the reception of the ring it as shown at I Fig. 2. By thussealing the mouth of the socket when the lamp is in position at a pointbelow the metallic terminal 0 all moisture is prevented from coming incontact with any part of said terminal and this is desirable.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A molded socket for incandescent lamps providedbetween the mouth thereof and the terminals with a ring of rubber, whichpro jects into the cavity of the socket for the purposes andsubstantially as set forth.

2. A molded socket for incandescent lamps, provided between the mouththereof and the terminals with a ring of rubber, said ring of rubberbeing secured in an annular recess in said socket, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES TENNANT LEE.

Witnesses:

\VM. A. MAcLEoD, Rosana \VALLACE.

